Current Saturation Characteristics and Single-Pulse Short-Circuit Tests of Commercial SiC MOSFETs

This paper focuses on the short circuit (SC) tests of four commercial TO-247 packaged silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) with voltage ratings of 900 V and 1200 V at room temperature. The test results of the SiC devices are compared with that of super junction silicon (Si) MOSFETs which underwent identical test procedures. The current saturation characteristics were tested at over 50% of their rated voltages with 1-μs turn-on pulses. The test results show that the SiC MOSFETs can sustain much higher power density during short circuit conditions relative to their Si counterparts. However, there are several challenges in sustaining a 10-μs SC time without significant degradation or failure with the drain-to-source voltage set at half of the rated voltage and the gate set to the full rated voltage.